Gas-retort furnace



(No Model.) 2 amend-sheet 1.

K. M. MITCHELL. GAS RETORT PURNAGB.

No.'43'7,61 1. Patented Sept. 30, 1890.

(N0 M06161.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

K. M. MITCHELL. GAS RETORT FURNACE.

No. 437,611. Patented Sept. 30, 1890.

1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KERR M. MITCHELL, OFST. J OSEPH. ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN DELL,

OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

'GAS-RETORTFU RNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 437,611, datedSeptember 30, 1890.

Application filed August 27, 1889. Eierial No. 322,100- (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KERR M. MITCHELL, of St. Joseph, Buchanan county,State'of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inGas-Retort Furnaces, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification.

This improvement relates to the style of coal-gas generators having whatare called regenerating furnaces, in which the primary air-supply goesdirectly to the firc and a secondary air-supply mixes with the gasesabove the fire.

Figure I is a longitudinal section at I I, Figs. II and III. Fig. II isa horizontal section upon two planes II II, Fig. III. Fig. III is atransverse section at III III, Fig. 11.

In Fig. I is shown a truck which is used when charging or dischargingthe bench of retorts, but which forms no part of the present invention.No novelty is claimed in the arrangement of the retorts or position ofthe furnace in the bench.

1 is the brick-work of the bench. 7

2 is a pit from which, if desired, the furnace may .be fed and which isin communication with the fire-chamber 3 by a way l, closed by a door 5.The grate-bars 6 are shown removable and resting on round bearing barsor rollers 7. 7

At 8 are horizontal shelves extending across the way or mouth 4, whosepurpose is to sustain the fuel at that point when the fire is made toextend from the grate-bars above the level of the shelves, as is usualin this form of furnace. In this case the fuel is fed through a mouth 9,closed by a cap or door 10. v

11 is the arch or cover to the fire or furnace chamber. The upper partof the fire-chamber extends backward in an extension 3.

At 12 are a number of openings extending through the top of the arch tothe combustionchamber 13, in which the retorts 14 are supported intheusual manner by supports 15.

The primary currents of air for the support of the partial combustionwhich takes place in the fire-chamber 3 enter at the front of the benchthrough the mouth 16 into the flues 17, which extend through thebrick-work to the rear part of the bench and then forwardly to the frontpart, where the warmed air escapes in to the fire-chamber throughopenings 18 at the sides of the mouth 4. The secondary aircurrents entermouth 19 in the front of the bench and pass through horizontal flues 20,which extend through the brick-work to the back part of the bench, andfrom that point forwardly beneath the combustion-chamber. 21 are anumber of passages from the top of the inner part of the fines 20 intothe combustion-chamber 13. The openings 21 and 12 are in closeproximity, so that the hot air from the flue 20 is mingled with theproducts of partial combustion from the fire and very thoroughcombustion takes place, the flames and heated gases filling the combustion-chamber. The products of combustion escape from the lower part ofthe combustion-chamber through a number of vertical pipes 22,whichtraverse the flue 20 and discharge into flues 23, arranged directlyunder and parallel with the air-fines 20, and lead to the smoke-stack24. These tubes 22 are secured in the top and bottom walls of the fines20 and are arranged in zigzag horizontal line, which causes the air tocome into very intimate contact with their heated surfaces.

At 25 are seen vertical ribs projecting from the sides of the flue andforming deflectors, causing the current-of air to take a devious coursein its passage through the flue, so that all portions of it are broughtin contact with the hot pipes 22. These deflectors, it will be seen, arefor this purpose arranged alternately with each other on opposite sidesof the flue, and the said pipes 22 are arranged alternately with saiddeflectors on both sides of the flue in a zigzag line, and thus form asinuous passage for the air entering the combustionchamber. These pipes22, it will also be observed, are necessarily very thin, so as to afforda minimum of resistance between the heat passing through them and theair in flue 20, and owing to their thinness they are ar rangedvertically, as otherwise they would hardly support their own weight, andalso as an incident to their thinness they are necessarily removable toenable the ready insertion of others when they become damaged, which isvery apt to occur. To enable the removal of" these pipes 22, thesettingstones 22 are simply supported on upper flanges 2O on the pipes,while the latter are themselves supported on the floor of the flue 20 bymeans of lower flanges 23.

It will be observed that the retort-chamber 13 has direct communicationwith the fire-box of the furnace, while the discharge or smoke flue 23has no communication with said firebox excepting via the vertical tubes22, which latter lead from the chamber 13; and on the other hand it willbe seen that the chamber 13 has no communication with the uptake orstack excepting m'a the vertical tubes 22 and smoke-flue 20, while thelatter (the smokeflue) is directly connected to the uptake or stack-Hence it will be understood that the products of combustion, afterhaving impinged against the retorts in the chamber 13', will passdownward through the verticaltubes 22,-and thence along the flue 23 tothe uptake, heating in their course thecurrent of air passing throughthe flue 20 and also heating to a considerable degree the air passingthrough the flues 17.

The pit is shown open and having a movable platform, as described andclaimed in my application,Serial N o. 323,008,filed September 4, 1889;and Itherefore do not claim the same in this application.

I claim as my invention-- 1. The combination, in a gas-generator, of thecombustion or retort chamber 13,- a horizontal flue 20, conducting airthrough the body of the bench to the said combustionchamber, and thevertical tubes 22,- extending fromthe chamber 13 through the flue 20 tothe discharge-flue 23, said tubes 22 being removably inserted in theupper and lower walls of the flue 20 and having the supportingfianges-20, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, in a gas-generator, of the fire-chamber, thecombustion-chamber 13, containing retorts and having communication withsaid fire-box, the horizontal air-flue 20 in communication with thecombustion-chamher, the uptake, a discharge-flue 23, the removable tubes22, arranged vertically in the air-flue 20 and communicating withchamber 13 and discharge-flue 23, said discharge-flue having directcommunication with the uptake, but no communication with thefi-rechamber forth.

3. The combination, in a gas-generator, of 1 the fire-chamber, thecombustion-chamber 13,

having the openings 12 throughout its length 7 leading to thefire-chamber, the air-heating flue 20, with openings 21 leading to thecombustion-chamber, the discharge-flue 23, arranged lengthwise of flue20, the tubes 22, arranged vertically and ma zigzag line along the flue20, leading from the combustion-chamber transversely through flue 20 tothe said dischargeflue, and the air-supply tubes 17, arranged parallelwith and adjacent to discharge-flue 23, said discharge-flue 23 having nocommunication with the fire-chamber except at the tubes 22 and thecombustion-chamber, substantially as set forth.

4. In a gas-generator,'the combination, with the fire-chamberandcombustion-chamber, of

a longitudinal air-flue communicating with the outer atmosphere and withsaid combustion-chamber,- a longitudinal smoke-flue arranged directlyunder and parallel with said air-flue and being open and unobstructedthroughout its entire length, and vertical cylindrical .pipes 22,extending from the combustion chamber transversely through the air-flueand opening in the smoke-flue under said air-flue, said smoke-flue beingconnected directly with the uptake, but having no connection with thefire-chamber except hid the tubes 22, substantially as set forth.

5. In a gas-generator, the combination, with the fire-chamber andcombustion-chamber, of a horizontal air-supply tube leading to thecombustion-chamber, a smoke-flue arranged under and parallel with saidair-flue, vertical pipes or flues 22,- leading from thecombustion-chamber and emptying into said smoketlue and being arrangedin a zigzag line throughout the length of said air-flue, and deflectorsprojecting laterally from the side walls of the air-flue and butpartially across the latter and being arranged opposite every alternateone of the said vertical flues, substantially as set forth. 7 g

6. The combination, with the combustionchamber and fire-chamber, of anair-flue leading to said combustion-chamber, a smoke-flue under saidair-flue, deflectors arranged alternately with each other on oppositesides of said air-flue, and vertical flues 22, arranged alternately withsaid deflectors on both sides of the air-flue and forming a zigzag line,said 1 flues 22 having communication with the'combustion chamber andsaid smoke flu'e, sub a stantially as set forth.

except via the tubes 22, substantially as set I KERR M. MITCHELL.

Witnesses:

J OHN H. FITZGERALD. D. H. A. MoNEILL.

